The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-05-12
A CORN N-SHUCKING.

open cotton shone like great snow
bank, and in the corn only the ''slip-
shucks" remained to show where the
lusty brown ears had hnng. The corn
had been gathered and hauled to the
great lot where the cribs stood waiting
for the harvest.
Day after day for whole week the
loaded wagons had been driven to the
lot, each depositing its load on the
semicircular pile, that had grown
higher and higher, until Charley
Green, the driver, himself could not
see over the top of it. Then came the
night of nights, the ''corn-shucking
The hands on the plantations, far
and near, had assembled to join in the
work that was more than half frolic
Blowing merry tunes on their quilts,
stopping every now and then for a
''pat and dance" in the sandy road,
they came singly, in pairs, and in
crowds, singing snatches of wild plan
tation melodies, or ''whoOping" in that
peculiar way of theirs which was like
the rich tones of bugle sounding far
away. Rapidly the crowd gathered;
the dusky light of an October evening
had settled down into a perfect night,
a night with never a fieck of cloud to
obscure the light of the faintest star
and no coquettish moon to dim the
lustre of rival planets. Across the
fields hung shreds of silvery mist, and
far away beyond the gently undulat-
ing surface of the cOtton-felds rose
gaunt and grim the dark line of swamp
that lay along the river. Ten thou
sand dewdrOps sparkled on the grass,
so that the face of the earth seemed
but dim reflection of the arch of the
glowing heavens.
''WhO gwine to be de leader?"
"Chally; let Chally be de leader, :"
cried chorus of voices; and Charley,
mounting the sloping semicircle of
corn and seizing IA large ear for his
baton, would begin:
o, dey's one ting 'er po' man
Seldom evan do,
FrOw out de old con
To put in de new.
All roun de con pile,
Hoe jolly no!
All 'roun de con pile,
Hoe jolly hoe.
This was the signal for beginning
and the dusky forms seated themselves,
knelt in convenient attitude, and the
cleaning ears flew thick and fast
through the air;
o! big Joe, little Joe you bettah go,
Jennie bake 'er hoe-cake slow, too slow
All 'roun de con pile,
Hoe jolly no!
All 'roun de con pile,
Hoe jolly no!
And the entire crowd Joined in the
refrain that, bursting out upon the cool
night air, was waited on the winds
and echoes and re-echoed from the
river swamp to the pine-covered ridge.
The rustling of the husks and the spir-
tied patter of the clean ears as they
fell in the open space in front was like
the soft tripping of fairy feet as an ac-
compartment to the merry music. up
and down the leveled walk, keeping
time with the music.
By and by there was short cessa-
ton, and an old brown jug was passed
from mouth to mouth around the cir-
Gle 1t contained the fiery spirit OF
the corn, and as each lusty laborer
gulped his dram he smacked his lips
and, with ''T'ank'ee, boss" resumed
his labors. Then the drum-major
struck up=a new tune:
From Sat'd'y night 'twell Sunday
De gals is in my min,
But er Monday mo'nin' light am seen.
De lite man got me agW1ne
u! git efiOng DOWN de ROAD,
o! git erlong down de road,
Come. git erlong down de road,
My love,
Come, git erlong down de road.
Vile lives in de country
My gal lives In de town;
Sometime have Il notion. love,
To jump in de river an drown,
o. git erlOng down de road,
o! git erlong down de road,
Come, git erlong down de road,
Come. git erlong down de road.
Higher and higher mounted the stars,
and brighter glowed the frosted silver
band of the milky way, as it hung sus-
pended midway the blue-black vault
of the far-away heavens. And still the
work. if one might class it as work,
went on. Charley changed his song,
and after he had sung each stanza,
with the aid of few voices. the crowd
would join in the refrain, and 1t sound
ed as if one voice, so true was the har-
mOny and natural unison.
Jay bird died wild de whoopin' cough.
Sparrer died wild de collie;
Long come er frog wild a fiddle on ia ORck.
During de way to de frolic.
Then came the refrain:
o, can't git erlong wild er hog eye,
Can't git erlOng wild er hog eye.
Can't git erlOng wild er hog eye gal,
An can't git erlong wild er hog eye.
Ca'ied Miss Sue to de ball las night,
Sot 'er down to suppah,
She tainted n ovah de table fell
An stuck er nose in the buttah.
Can't git erlong wild err hog eye,
Can't git erlong wild er hog eye.
Can't git erlong wild er hog eye gal,
An can't git erlong wild er hog eye.
sont fo' de doctah TO fotch er to,
An he wus sumpn latah.
She stuck er tuk key bone 'ner eye,
OOf choke deaf
Can't git erlong wild er hog eye,
Can't git erlong wild er hog eye,
Can't git erlong wild er hog eye gal,
An can't git erlong wild er hog eye.
As the hill grew smaller the exer-
tions were redoubled. Boys too small
to shuck corn were busted with bas-
kets carrying the shucks to the tall
rail pens, and many were the wrest-
ling match they would have among the
Welding shucks as they trampled them
down in the pens. The master of the
house, and generally the ladies, and
some of the neighboling planters would
assemble at little distance and enjoy
the corn-shucking and the wild songs
quite as much as the negroes. AT
length the pile would grow so small
''supper song:
o, forty weight er Johnny cake,
An fifty weight er cheese,
An er big pot er hOminy,
N er little pot er pease.
o, Jenny, amt yo' ash-cake done, my da lin
Jenny, amt yo' ash-cake done. my deah?
An went to de rivah,
An could'n' git ercross,
An give five dOllahs fO n ole bin hoss.
O. Jenny amt yO ash-cake done my da lin
Jenny, amt yo' ash-cake done, my deah?
Big ole buZza'd er flyin's,by;
Sezee, ''OIe man, yo' hoss IL die,'
An eff e dies I'll tan is skin
N if he lives ] ride i'm ergin.
O, Jenny, amt yO ash-cake dOne my da lin
Jenny, amt yo' ash-cakc done, my deah?
Sol my hoss in Tennessee,
IN his jaw-bone come back to me,
An de aw-bone popped an de marrer flew
High g my head, an higher too;
o, Jenny, amt 20 ash-cake done, my da' lin
Jenny, amt yo' ash-cake done, my deah?
There would be scramble for the
last ear, and when it was stripped Oi
its husk and tossed on the pile they
would make rush for the master
and, lifting him willing captive, tC
their shoulders, they would carry hin
all around the corn pile, singing, yel
ling, dancing, and laughing, until they
were tired out.